


Arthur's Secret

by dragoninatrenchcoat



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-04
Updated: 2012-06-04
Packaged: 2017-11-06 20:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/423034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragoninatrenchcoat/pseuds/dragoninatrenchcoat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martin discovers something about Arthur he never would have guessed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arthur's Secret

Martin rarely took walks so late at night, but the students below him were partying something fierce; he couldn’t sleep at all and he was beginning to get high off the fumes alone. Usually they were kind enough, so instead of reprimanding them, he left. It was just after finals; they were allowed some relaxation. Or what qualified for relaxation in that generation, anyway.   
  
He hugged his coat tightly around him, warding off the cold as he walked, though breathing deeply as if to cleanse all the secondhand smoke out of his system. He was only minimally scared of walking around Fitton at night; he was fairly certain no one would want to jump him, being an unattractive male, and if they did he had pepper spray on him, hidden in a jacket pocket. He knew Douglas would probably scoff at the precaution, saying it was a woman’s tactic or something equally sexist, but not everyone was born with an inordinate amount of muscle and Martin had to prepare himself somehow.  
  
Armed thus, he set off briskly from his house, only barely paying attention to where he was going. Then, when his legs were starting to get tired and he was thinking about turning around - surely the party was winding down by now? - he saw a familiar face.  
  
“Arthur?” he called, his voice betraying his severe confusion.  
  
The familiar round face looked up at the call, and beamed a familiar bright smile. “Skip! What’re you doing out here?”  
  
“I could ask you the same thing,” Martin said, closing the distance between them. “Why aren’t you in bed?”  
  
“Oh, I’m always up at this time,” he said happily. “It’s so wonderful out, isn’t it? Look at the sky.” He pointed.  
  
Martin looked at the sky. He could barely see the stars for the streetlights, but what he did see was pretty. “It is,” he allowed, “but it’s still dangerous. You could get hurt out here.”  
  
Arthur crossed his arms for warmth and shook his head. “Nah. I’m fine. I’ve been out nearly every night and nothing’s ever happened. It’s brilliant.” He beamed. “Say, Skip - d’you wanna come with me?”  
  
Martin turned around, eyeing the way back home. He really should get going - but on the other hand, he really should accompany Arthur home, maybe have a talk with Carolyn. Did she know about these walks? “Sure,” he accepted, and stepped alongside the steward.  
  
“It’s great fun, you’ll love it,” Arthur enthused.  
  
“I have been loving it,” Martin told him. “I’ve been loving it since I left my house an hour ago.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, there’s the walking bit, that’s nice. But I’m talking about the _really_ brilliant bit. Oh, look, here’s one.” He pointed down an alley at a teenager smoking by a dumpster.  
  
Alarm bells went off in Martin’s head. That teenager looked strong; he doubted neither himself nor Arthur would be able to take him. “Let’s go,” he suggested.  
  
“You haven’t even seen the brilliant bit!” Arthur protested, drawing the teenager’s attention. “Come on, Skip!” He beckoned, and before Martin could stop him, was off down the alley.  
  
“Who are you?” the teenager asked Arthur, flicking away his cigarette and puffing himself up to twice the steward’s size.  
  
“Arthur,” Martin hissed. “Get back here!”  
  
“I’m Arthur,” the steward said brightly, holding out a hand. “How d’you do?”  
  
That, obviously, wasn’t what the boy had expected. After a moment, he accepted the hand. Then, in a flash, Arthur had the boy on his knees and was sucking on his neck rather emphatically.  
  
Martin yelped and jumped back, watching with fearful confusion as Arthur stood like that for a while, happily sucking on the neck of a boy half his age and twice his height, who looked as dazed as half the kids back in the house the Captain had left. He felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, but he didn’t know what to do, so he just stood stock-still until, finally, the steward let go and the teenager fell like a ragdoll to the alley floor.  
  
Then Arthur beamed at him in a grotesquely familiar expression, the blood dripping down his chin from a mouth accented by long, white fangs starkly counteracting the very human eyes which looked at him as proudly as they might have if the steward had gotten an answer right in that exam they’d taken in Ipswich.  
  
“You sure you don’t want some?” Arthur asked. “It’s brilliant!”  
  
Martin felt his knees go weak, and then his head, and then everything went black.


End file.
